Diamine Safari (150th Anniversary Series)
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate
Saturation: moderate
Flow: medium
Dry Time: 12 seconds

I picked up Diamine Safari on a whim thinking I'd like to try a brownish colored ink. Based on the swab from Goulet's site, I thought it would be a sandy-brown, but as you can probably tell from the photo, it's closer to an olive green. I actually really like the color, as it reminds me of a cross between Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun and J. Herbin Vert Olive. I actually just picked up a sample of Noodler's Army Green, and I have a feeling it will end up being closest to that color. More on that in a future review!

Safari is an ink from Diamine's 150th Anniversary series. It's one of eight total inks in the series, which come in cool triangular shaped bottles that, when placed flush to one another, make a cool circle of ink bottles. Not a bad marketing ploy to get folks to buy all of the inks!

I was really pleased with Diamine Safari when I used it at work for a few days. I had worried it would be too light for practical use, but that isn't the case at all. It's a nice medium shade of olive green that has a good bit of shading. I did not see any feathering on my Rhodia pad and had no problems with bleedthrough or ghosting. Dry time was a bit on the long side at 12 seconds, so it may not be a great ink for some left-handers.

All in all I was glad that I picked up a sample of Diamine Safari to try out. I probably wouldn't get a full bottle, just because I have other green inks that I like better. If you like the color, I would definitely recommend it! You can pick up a 40mL bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $15.95.